And the skies began to weep
by Charna Toiba
Summary: Everyone dies someday. Sometimes you just fade away and the others? Someone will be holding onto your death for you, whether that's convincing you to hold on. Or whether it's keeping an arrow for you in their quiver. And today was her day.


You can't win every time. Some day, and everyone has this day, you will loose. You will fall farther than ever before and loose it all, you can try to delay it but sooner or later it will catch up with you. You can try and avoid it but it will catch you. And you will loose. Everyone dies someday. Sometimes you just fade away and the others? Someone will be holding onto your death for you, whether that's convincing you to hold on. Or whether it's keeping an arrow for you in their quiver. And today was her day.

It felt wrong. As soon as they left it felt wrong and it didn't stop feeling wrong. But she ignored the feeling, thinking it was just nerves, that she was feeling ill, that it was because of the new armour. But they shouldn't of ignored the feeling, gone another day or not gone at all but it needed to be done.

She shouldn't have stayed at home, stayed with the girls. And now they will be orphans again. Hopefully someone will look after them, she asked them to in the letter but, if they don't know if she was dead, would they go through her things? She wanted what was best for the girls so both lives were kept separate, they didn't get to see her as often as they wanted, but she loved them and it kept them safe.

She moved slightly and nearly screamed in pain as the arrow moved deeper into her flesh, more blood pooling from the wound. Her magika was drained and she didn't carry any healing potions and he was gone. They had split up to try and get them off their tails, hopefully he was safe when she was not.

Why didn't she tell him how she felt? How she felt about him, that he made her heart pound in her chest and that she needed to catch her breath when she saw him. But now it was too late, or almost too late when she had an idea.

"Odahviing" her voice sounded in the quiet, "find him for me. Please." She quietly begged to the silence, hoping he would come to her call.

She closed her eyes and she swore that it was only for a moment, but when she opened them she could hear the loud sounds of dragon wings before he called her name,

"Risa. Oh divines Risa please say something." He said as he rushed to her side. Her clutched tightly to her hand as she choked on her breath.

"I'm sorry." She managed to say, her voice rough and raw as a small trail of blood coursed from her lip.

"We need to get you help." He desperately said, going to pick her up only to stop as she shrieked in pain.

"No. I cannot go. It is my time." She softly said, her voice getting quieter and quieter.

"No it's not. Risa you are not allowed to die, not yet."

"I'm sorry Farkas. There was so much I still had to do, but I shall see Kodak again and be with the heroes of Sovngarde soon."

"Please."

"I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you I just, I couldn't,"

"Couldn't tell me what?"

"I love you. I love you Farkas. I should have said something."

"And I should've told you. Then maybe we could of had some more time together."

"No. My time was coming, it always was. I just ran from it for a while but that bandit had an arrow destined for me. I just couldn't finish my trick of dyin' of old age 'fore it found me." Her voice was so quiet he could barely hear it as he struggled to cry.

She coughed and spat blood before collapsing back to the ground. Her fingers gripped his hand like a vice, still strong in the face of death.

"There's," she paused to cough up more blood, "there's a letter that you need to read. And the others too, I wrote it in case this ever happened. It'll sort everything out. But I need you to do something for me."

"Anything Risa. Anything for you."

"One last kiss. One more touch from the living before I pass, and I doubt that I shall be seeing you for a good long time. I hope that I shan't."

He gently pressed his lips to hers as the light faded from her eyes and her body went limp in his arms. Gently, as though she were sleeping, he picked her up and carried her to were the dragon was waiting, head bowed in respect.

"I shall take you to Whiterun." Odahviing said as the skies began to weep. Dark grey clouds had gathered over head as Risa had breathed her last and now even the heavens cried for the loss of the Dragonborn.

She was burnt like the other Harbingers. Vilkas had ridden hard to her home in Falkreath to bring her daughters to see her laid to rest. The girls cried for their mother as they watched her body left Nirn. They hadn't been able to burn her body on the Skyforge. Too many flocked to honour the hero of Skyrim. Instead, a huge pyre had been built just beyond the city walls, and then her ashes would be brought to the Skyforge.

Jarls and nobles all bowed their heads to the women they owed their lives, beggars and thieves, everyone who's lived she had touched. No one didn't cry as they watched her be lay down in a dress of the bluest silk that made her eyes shine like the sea. Her hair had been braided and filled with flowers, she looked lifelike, like she had just fallen asleep.

Farkas returned to the gentle, quiet man he had been before meeting her, before she had gotten under his skin; but his eyes were haunted with her death. He took her daughters in, bought Breezehome so that he could keep them close. He had promised her as he watched her ashes fall to the fire of the Skyforge that he would care for them, and he did.

Vilkas took over as Harbinger, that's what Risa asked for in her letter. She had said that she wanted Farkas to train any new recruits, saying that he had the kindness and patience in his heart that they would need, and the strength that they could aspire to have. Aela over saw any jobs that the companions did, assigning them and paying them. Risa had seen everyone's strengths and now she was using them.

And years after her death, when Farkas was too old to lift his sword, hands shaking, too frail and weak, he remembered what she had said, she hadn't finished her trick, but he had avoided his arrow or his blade. He had survived until his end, even if it had been sped up by countless battles and near misses. He passes like she did, with someone he loved, Vilkas and the girls stayed with him until the lights of Sovngarde guided him to his Risa, holding his hands until he went limp and he seemed to have fallen to sleep.

And the skies began to weep.


End file.
